Springfield daily republic. [volume] (Springfield, O. [Ohio]) 1887-1888, 1887-02-02
WAS SHE INSANE'
THE JEALOUSY OF THE MaRTYRED
PRESIDENTS WIFE.

THE JEALOUSY OF THE maRTYRED
PRESIDENTS WIFE.
Gen. Badeau Throws Some Light on
| Mrs. Lincoln's Eccentricities-Hor I'm
governsbis Rage Aroused by Trihes.
IincoIn's Bearing Through II All.
The account Of Lincoln's lovemaFing in
his history by Nicolay and Hay seems almost
ominous when read by the light Of later
| knowledge The anNieties and forebodingS
and absolute agony of the future president
| on the eve of marriage the most incredulous
might say, presaged the destiny that I'M
| pended. For no one knows the character of
| Abraham Lincoln, his gudlike patience, his
| ineffable sweetness, his transcendent charity
! amid all the tremendous worries of war and
| revolution and public affairs, who is igno
| rant of what he endured of private woe, and
no one rightly judges the unfortunate part
| ner of his elevation and unwilling cause of
| many of his miseries who forgets that she
| had ''eaten on the insane root that takes the
reason prisoner.
The country knows but has preferred to
| forget the strangeneSs of Mrs. Lincoln's con-
| duct at intervals after her husbands S death.
| Many of the most extraordinary incidents in
| her career were not revealed, out of deicacy
| to others and tenderness to one who had been
the sharer of Abraham I.incoln's fortunes
| and the mother Of his family; but enough
was apparent TO shock and pain the public
sense whsn finally the conflict with her own
son. 50 highly respected, the dragging Of
their affairs into a public court, the nec"s
| sary supervision of the poor lady's finances
and the restraint of hr actions, if not of her
person, disclosed the act that her mind had
been diseased.
The first time that saw Mrs Lincoln was
when | accompanied Mrs. Grant to the
| White House for her first visit there as the
wife of the general .in-chief. The next that
| now recall was in March, 1864, when Mrs.
| Lincoln, with the president, visited City
| Point. They went on a steamer, escorted
| by a naval vessel of which Capt. John S.
Barnes was in command and remained for
some weeks in the James river under the
bluff on which the headquarters were estab-
lished. Here they slept and usually took
| their meals but sometimes both assembled the
hill and were entertained at the mess of Gen.
Grant. On the 26th of March a distin-
guished party from Washington joined
them among whom | remember especially
| Mr.. Geoffroi, the French minister 1t was
prorosed that an excursion should be made
to the front of the Army of the Potomac,
| about ten or twelve mfes away, aud Mrs.
| Lincoln and Mrs Grant were of the COM
pany. There was a military railroad which
took the illustrious guests great portion of
the way. and then the men were mounted,
but Mrs Grant and Mrs. Lincoln went on
in an ambulance, as it was called-a sort of
half open carriage with two seats besides
| that for the driver. was detailed TO escort
them, and of course sat on the front seat
| facing the ladies, with my back to the horses.
EXTRAORDINARY JEALOUSY.
In the course of conversation mentioned
that all the wives of officers at the army
front had been ordered to the rear-a SURE
SIGN that active operations were in contem-
plation | said not a lldy had been allowed
TO remain except Mrs. Griffin, the wife Of
Gen. Charles Griffin. who had obtained a
special permission from the president At
this Mrs. Lincoln was up in arms. .What
do YOU mean by that. sir?'' she exclaimed.
1.Do you mean to say that she saw the presi-
dent alone, Do YOU kow that never allow
| the president to see any woman aloney'' She
was absolutely Jealous of moor. ugly Abraham
Lincoln. / tried to paclfy her and TO palllate
INV remark, but she was fairly boiling over
with rage That's a very eQuivocal smile,
| sir ~ she exclaimed. LET me out of this
| carriage at once. will ask the president if
he saw that woman alone" Mrs. Griffin
was one of the best known and most elegant
women in Washington. afterward the Coun-
tess Estsrhazy, 4 Carroll and a personal ac-
! On ,iptance of Mrs, Grant, who strove to mol
Lincoln again bade me stop the driver, and
when hesitated to obey she thrust her arms
mast me to the front of the carriage and held
the driver fast. But Mrs. Grant fiually pre-
vailed on her to wait till the whole party
alighted, and then Gen. Meade came up to
nav his respects to the wife of the president.
had intended to offer Mrs. Lincoln nv arm
and endeavor to prevent scene. but Meade,
of course, as nv superior officer had the
right TO escort her, and had 10 chance to
warn him. saw them go off together, and
remained in fear and trembling for what
might occur in the presence of the foreign
minister and other important strangers.
But Gen. Meade was very adroit, and
when they returned Mrs. Lincoln looked at
me and said: ''Gen. Meade is gentleman,
sir. He saws it was not the president who
tary Of war" Meade was the son Of diplo-
matist and had evidently inherited some of
his fathers skill.
At night when we were back in camp Mrs.
Grant talked over the matter with me and
said the whole affair was so distressing and
notifying that we must never either men
ton it to any one; at least l was TO be alb
soiutely silent and she would disclose 1t only
to the general. But the next day WAS re-
leased from my pledge, for worse remained
behind. "
The same party went in the morning to
visit the Army Of the James on the north
side Of the river, commanded by Gen. Ord
The arrangements were somewhat similar to
those the day before. We went up the river
In steamer, and then the men again took
horses and Mrs. Lincoln and Mrs. Grant
went in an ambulance. l was detailed as
before TO act as escort, but / asked for a